'House of the Dragon': Why Jon Snow's Targaryen heritage was so important in Season 1
Contains spoilers and speculations for 'House of the Dragon'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'House of the Dragon' Season 2 will premiere on HBO on June 16, 2024. The fantasy thriller series is an epic combination of exciting action sequences and unpredictable twists and turns that keep viewers glued to their screens.
'House of the Dragon' is a prequel to 'Game of Thrones' and while the two shows are distinctly different in their pacing and treatment, they are uniquely connected in the depths of George R. R. Martin's literature and its infinite realms.
One of the most important characters of 'Game of Thrones' was Jon Snow (Kit Harington), who was later revealed to be Aegon Targaryen, the son of Rhaegar Targaryen. The revelation comes late in Season 7 of 'Game of Thrones' but as fans were taken aback and marveling at the depth of this story, they were also questioning the decision to name him Aegon because Rhaegar already had a son named Aegon, so why would he name his second son Aegon?
The prequel 'House of the Dragon' seemed to clear this confusion in its first season finally.
Jon Snow and 'A Song of Ice and Fire'
In Season 1 of 'House of the Dragon', King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) tells about his ancestor Aegon, the conqueror's dream of dangers to civilization and how a Targaryen on the throne would unite the realm and be a protector against the dangers.
He tells about this prophecy to his daughter Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) while making her the heir to the throne. Aegon called this dream 'A Song of Ice and Fire'.
In 'Game of Thrones', we see this prophecy come true as the Night King leads an army of the dead to fight against the realm. Jon Snow is the one to unite the realm and fight the war although, he is not the Targaryen at the Throne.
Jon being named Aegon becomes a lot more logical now that the prophecy came from Aegon, The Conqueror as Rhaegar considered his son, the prince that was promised. Rhaegar was obsessed with the prophecy and now that we know that the prophecy came from Aegon, it is only logical that he named his son Aegon yet again.
How is Jon Snow related to Rhaenyra Targaryen?
Jon Snow is the seventh great-grandchild of Rhaenyra Targaryen. At the end of Dance of the Dragons, Rhaenyra Targaryen wins the war against Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) but then she is killed and her son Aegon III Targaryen is the successor on the Iron Throne.
The lineage continues until the mad-king King Aerys II Targaryen is upstaged by Robert Baratheon's rebellion. Jon Snow is raised by Ned Stark (Sean Bean) with Jon not knowing his real identity.
The irony here is that while Jon and Daenerys were the ones to unite the realm against the white-walkers, the person sitting on the Throne was Cersei Lannister. 'House of the Dragon' might have an explanation for that later in the series too.
How to stream 'House of the Dragon' Season 2?
'House of the Dragon' Season 2 is streaming on HBO Max from Sunday, June 16, 2024. To watch the series, you will need a Max Subscription.
The streaming platform typically offers three packages that you can choose from depending on your budget.
The low-cost plan that supports advertising costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 annually. The second package, which does not support advertising, costs $15.99 per month or $149.99 annually. Meanwhile, the third package, titled Ultimate Ad-Free, costs $19.99 per month or $199.99 annually.
'House of the Dragon' Season 2 trailer
'House of the Dragon' Season 2 is streaming on HBO Max from Sunday, June 16, 2024.